Don We Now Our Gay Apparel
by Agent Dragicorn
Summary: In which Eli and Nozomi meet one fateful winter and this starts their romantic adventure (that was as cheesy as I could get early in the morning).
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

 **-Casually dumps 4 chapters in one go here-**

 **Happy Holidays y'all**

* * *

Eli loved winter.

Winter meant the return of cool air, a serene atmosphere that draped over the entire country, snow and best of all, Christmas. It was during this season where she would see the kindness in people more often; neighbours helped shovel snow off each others' paths, students shared umbrellas, adults carpooled to enjoy that small comfort in the car away from the cold. Winter gave her much reason to drink her favourite drinks: hot chocolate and vodka.

Winter reminded Eli of home.

Living alone with only her younger sister at the young age of 18 was definitely not an easy task. But she had chosen her previous high school on her own and Alisa did want so badly to study in their grandmother's hometown. So here they were in Japan, happy, excited, but ever so often, homesick. Which was why winter was always welcome for the Ayase siblings.

Living alone with only her younger sister also meant that during such special occasions, it felt significantly less festive. The house was no longer filled up with dozens of relatives, all with perfect genes. The tree, once lush, huge and elaborately decorated was now reduced to a tinier one barely the height of Eli herself, still beautifully decorated but with the same empty air as the house. The numerous presents which had been littered under the tree were now few.

It was inevitable - Christmas was different and would never be the same in Japan as Russia. But Eli had been determined to not let this get to both her and Alisa, and worked hard every year to ensure that Christmas was still a celebration.

So here she was, searching for the perfect gift for Alisa in the mall.

Never had she expected to run into the perfect gift for herself.

* * *

Nozomi had foreseen many different scenarios when she had signed up to be the mall Santa. Kids asking for the impossible, possibly whining, maybe even bawling, occasional weird requests, older kids surprisingly still believing in Santa, even elderly with dementia maybe. But she had definitely not expected her current predicament: a bunch of drunk university students hitting on her with one draped all over her lap and another with his arms around her shoulders.

"Come on Santa, won't you grant me my wish? I've been really good. In bed, that is," the girl on Nozomi's lap drawled clumsily.

"All I want for Christmas is youuuuuuuuuu!" The boy behind her shouted in her ear and she winced.

These all elicited excited catcalls from their few other friends by the side, all likely equally intoxicated. Now, on any other day, Nozomi could probably have pushed them aside seeing as they were drunk and would hardly be able to put up a decent fight. However, her contract as Santa had required her to act the part for the entire duration that she was in the costume. Which included now. The small crowd which had gathered at Santa's Workshop at the mall plaza - mainly kids watching in curiosity with their parents looking on with a mix of amusement and horror - would definitely not appreciate the figure of festivity getting all festive on these students. So instead, she patiently waited for Security to come, which she was sure they would seeing as some parents looked utterly offended. Meanwhile, she kept to her character.

"It appears as though you lot are all in the Naughty list! I'm afraid I can't grant your wishes; no presents for you all!" She announced loudly, with the kids in the crowd gasping.

"Naughty? Well Santa, I'm sure you'd like that a lot more," the student pressed himself closer to Nozomi and she almost gagged, both from the comeback and the smell of his breath.

The only warning she got next was the rustling of plastic bags and quick, furious footsteps. Then, the university students were angrily whacked by a Toys-R-Us bag.

"Stop being a public nuisance. You're harassing Santa and upsetting all the kids that come here to feel the Christmas spirit," a stern voice scolded.

"The hell, lady? We want to enjoy the Christmas spirit too! Who are you to do this to us?"

"Mrs Claus," came the reply unhesitatingly. "Please respect my family and leave."

Nozomi choked as she watched the exchange between her saviour and assailants. That was not a reply she had expected. Her saviour had her back faced towards Nozomi, as if acting as a human shield for her. But from her slim and tall figure, long blonde hair and poise, Nozomi had definitely not expected such a... creative response.

Surprisingly, the university students took it.

"Very sorry to disrupt your happy family, ma'am. We don't want any cheating this season," they bowed in apology.

"You picked a good one. Santa didn't budge at all," Lap Girl sloppily winked as she was dragged away by her other friends.

Nozomi watched the bunch of kids walk into the slightly late Security, literally, and get escorted out of the mall. She heaved a sigh of relief as they exited the automatic doors and turned towards her saviour, ready to thank her.

And then the words died in her throat.

The blonde, with her body now angled more towards Nozomi, was definitely a sight to behold. And that was coming from Santa. Said lady could probably light fireplaces just with her presence. She was probably on the wish list of almost anyone that had met her. All Nozomi could do was gape at her and after a few moments, the lady turned towards her and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright there?" Her voice was laced with concern and Nozomi felt reindeers pull at her heartstrings.

She opened and closed her mouth dumbly for a few moments, before blurting out the only words in her mind.

"I sure hope you've been good because I'd definitely want to visit your house."

* * *

Eli waited outside Santa's Workshop for Santa as per agreed on just an hour or so ago. Said girl had offered Eli a free lunch in thanks for saving her from the drunken bunch and despite the flattering but awkward first words Santa had spouted, Eli still could not say no to the offer. After all, rule number 1 of being an independent university student living with her younger sister was that there's no such thing as free lunches, but when it did present itself, never say no.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting!" A familiar voice rang out from behind her and Eli turned to face her.

There Santa stood, stripped of her hat and beard but still wearing the shirt, shorts and boots. Her purple hair was tousled, evidently tied into a careless low side ponytail. Green eyes reminding Eli of the most vibrant Christmas tree ever formed half moons as Santa smiled at her.

Eli didn't understand how someone could look so cute, hot and gorgeous at the same time. In a Santa outfit.

"Thanks so much for earlier. I'm Nozomi Toujou," San- Nozomi said as she stuck her hand out in greeting.

Eli stood there dumbly, still desperately controlling her ogling. Nozomi raised an eyebrow in amusement and smirked a little at the lack of reaction, which kick started Eli's brain.

 _Right, an introduction. Good, now I don't have to keep calling her Santa in my head. That was making things weird, because no one should be attracted to Santa, right? Only Mrs Claus would. Right. Oh god her name is as beautiful as her- no Eli stop, focus. What did she want again? An introduction, right. I'm taking too long, Sant- Nozomi's looking at me with a knowing look. Okay deep breath, calm down. Introduce yourself properly and don't show just how attracted you are to her and just be normal and-_

"Hi, I'm Mrs Claus."

Somewhere at the back of her brain, a tiny portion of her mind that was still rational face palmed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Elichi, think fast!"

That was the only warning Eli received before she felt a cold slate slam into her face and disintegrate. A snowball must have been thrown right smack onto her face. At 8am on the first day of her winter break.

Eli saw red.

Then she realised that although she may be surprised and slightly grumpy since it was the early morning, this was Nozomi who had done the deed. Eli wouldn't get angry at her just over this.

She figured out that her seeing red was probably not figurative about the same time Nozomi did.

"Oh god, you're bleeding!" Nozomi's voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of panicky footsteps up the porch.

Eli wiped at her face and saw a mix of snow and blood. She didn't feel any stinging, though. There was something else that she didn't feel too: her glasses. She crouched down hesitantly to try and locate them but this action was misinterpreted by Nozomi.

"Please don't tell me you're going to faint. Oh god, Eli please don't collapse on me. I'm so sorry," Nozomi babbled as she rushed to wipe Eli's face, thumbs smoothing over her face gently.

Eli laughed and waved the concerned pair of hands away. "Nozomi, relax. It's just a nosebleed I think. More importantly, can you get my glasses for me?"

* * *

"I still can't believe that you broke my glasses," Eli grumbled as she clung on desperately to the root of her problem today.

"And I can't believe your luck. It's not that bad, we're going to get your contacts and a new pair of glasses now. Plus, you get a reason to cling onto me."

Eli flushed slightly, internally blaming it on the cold weather (she knew better, though. After all, she was Russian.) Thanks to Nozomi's earlier antics, her glasses were broken and rendered completely useless. Furthermore, she had just thrown her last pair of contacts the previous night, having planned on collecting her new box today. With her degree probably as high as her SAT scores, she couldn't get to the mall on her own. Thus, she had enlisted the help of the criminal. Eli supposed it was a good excuse to spend the day with her best friend, which she had been planning to do but had been too shy to initiate. Not that the other girl had to know, though.

"I didn't think that you had wanted to hit on me that badly," Eli retorted, trying to one up Nozomi at her game.

Unfortunately, the original player was always the better one too. "Maybe that's because you're so dense that I need something that impactful to get through to you."

Eli felt the blush on her face grow as she attempted to shove her best friend playfully. But with her extremely blurred vision, her hands missed the aimed upper arm and landed on something much softer. Very much. Her hands retracted immediately as though burnt - they might as well have been considering a wave of heat rapidly spread from her fingers to the rest of her body, pooling at her face and somewhere much lower. She desperately brought her mind out of a haze worse than her clouded vision.

"Oh god, soft- sorry! I'm sorry! I aimed right. For your arm. I didn't mean to touch your chest that's really soft and bouncy and-" Eli bit her tongue to stop talking. "I am so mortified and sorry."

She buried her face in her hands and charged forward. Hearing Nozomi's laughter ring out melodiously from behind didn't help to ease her embarrassment.

"I don't mind, really. Not at all," she held back teasing words; Eli's horrified reaction was enough for now. "Also, are you sure you can walk on your own?"

As if on cue, Eli slipped and fell hard on the icy path, hands barely breaking her fall since they had been busy covering her face. Nozomi rushed forward but upon seeing Eli sit up and nurse her wounds with a pained pout, she relaxed.

"Did it hurt more than when you fell from the heavens?"

Eli groaned for more reasons than one.

"Next time, try falling into my arms. Or maybe the chest that you just declared as soft and bouncy," Nozomi couldn't help the grin that was plastered on her face.

Eli wondered if her exceptionally hot body could melt the ice below her and let her sink to the depths of the earth.

* * *

They finally reached the mall without much incident after that. If Eli discounted the endless one sided teasing. Nozomi definitely took advantage of the fact that Eli could not get anywhere alone and thus was effectively trapped with her. Never had Eli wished so badly for perfect eyesight.

"Hey look, it's where we first met!" Nozomi exclaimed excitedly as Eli internally screamed.

As much as she liked to think back on her first encounter with Nozomi, she knew that the other girl would only bring up the parts that she loved. Specifically, Eli's excellent display of her brain malfunctioning on her.

Nozomi definitely didn't fail her. "I hope you don't plan on going to the new Mall Santa, Mrs Claus."

Eli let out a strangled scream of embarrassment. "If I weren't nearly blind right now, I would do so much to get back at you."

"Really? Like finally ask me out?"

It was then that Eli noticed just how muted her surroundings were. Nozomi had probably dragged them off to some obscure part of the mall, probably to confront her on this issue. She shifted uncomfortably, nervous from the intense gaze that she couldn't see but could definitely feel.

It wasn't new knowledge to the both of them that they had a mutual attraction - that much was clear from the very beginning. But while Nozomi had figured her feelings out after a couple of months of getting to know Eli, Eli herself had only discovered it a month or so ago. That was probably around the same time when she started acting slightly differently around Nozomi and the other girl had seen through it. She didn't push, though. Eli definitely needed some time, but now she was slightly impatient.

"I... was waiting for the right moment. I wanted it to be special," Eli confessed shyly.

Nozomi felt her heart swell at the response, but knew she had to get the message out now while she had finally managed to open the topic.

"Now's as good a time as any other. All we need for it to be special is each other," her soft voice rang loudly in Eli's ears as she finally saw some clarity throughout the day.

She took in a shaky breath and held it, mustering her courage. "Nozomi Toujou, I'll cut to the chase. Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Nozomi pretended to ponder as she held her hand above them, plant tight in her grasp. "What does this casually convenient mistletoe here say?"

Eli hesitated. "Is that a yes?"

A chuckle escaped and suddenly, all Eli could see were the beautiful green eyes that sparkled and shone with so much emotion, her breath got caught in her throat. Soft exhales were felt against her lips, now quivering from the simulation.

"Of course," Nozomi breathed out and looked down at the prize she couldn't wait to claim. "May I?"

Those lips she had been staring at curved upwards.

"No."

Then Eli leant in, and Nozomi figured that it was fine either way.

* * *

Nico sighed in exhaustion, having finally stripped her elf costume off and returned to her normal, comfortable clothes. She couldn't wait to finally return home and rest after a morning of hard work.

The last thing she needed as she exited the Employees Only door was to see a couple passionately kissing right outside. And not just any couple; she definitely did not need to see her best friend and rapidly-becoming-very-good-friend exploring each others' mouths.

Nico practically ran past them, not even wanting to let her mind question why Nozomi was holding up a couple of pine leaves above them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**

 **Words in bold mean they're speaking in Russian**

* * *

Eli flitted around the house, jittery as she made miniscule adjustments to practically everything in the house. This hanging picture wasn't straight, that vase was at the wrong angle which didn't showcase its best picture and oh god, is that a half eaten bar of chocolate on the counter? She rushed to put it in the fridge, needing everything to be perfect.

" **I don't recall you ever having put in this much effort in cleaning the house,** " Alisa teased from the kitchen where she was preparing dinner. " **Nozomi has seen the house before; cleaning it won't make much of a difference**."

" **I just need something to do since you two won't let me help with dinner at all!** " Eli half screamed in exasperation.

" **That's because you're a much greater help out of the kitchen than in it, Elichika,** " a tall, slender and poised elder lady quipped.

Eli just groaned at her, unable to deny her mother's accusation. She fiddled around with the tablecloth, needing _something_ to occupy her time so she couldn't give her brain the luxury of wandering off and formulating every single possible scenario that could go wrong later on. Later on, when Nozomi meets her mother.

Oh god.

Eli doesn't think she's ever been so stressed out in her life, and she's in her final year of university. She glanced at the beautiful and elegant lady in the kitchen, knowing this was just a fleeting impression people have of her mother. No one except those really close to the older lady know just how... savage she can get. Eli plunked herself down onto a chair and groaned into her hands, already getting ready for the torrent of embarrassment that was sure to come.

" **Mom, I'm 22. Please don't call me Elichika later on,** " her muffled voice travelled to her mother's ears that refused to listen.

" **Why not? It's cute. And that won't be the worst that will happen, trust me,** " a playful reply came.

She wondered if it was too late to simply take Nozomi out for dinner this Christmas instead.

* * *

The doorbell rang way too soon for Eli. Before Alisa or her mother could even take a step away from their positions, she bolted across the living room and grasped the door handle. A shaky breath was inhaled and held in, steadying herself.

Was she ready for two of the most important people in her life to meet each other? No, definitely not. But she didn't have any other choice now. Gingerly, she opened the door.

She couldn't help the butterflies that gushed from her heart and settled in the pit of her stomach upon seeing her girlfriend of 3 years in front of her. A smile involuntarily broke out on her face as she swooned slightly. Nozomi didn't look particularly fancy, maybe a bit more attention was paid to how she dressed since today was a big day for her as well, but no matter what, she still looked gorgeous to Eli.

They exchanged a long and tight hug, each sensing the others' nerves and pouring their comfort into the embrace.

"Hello, beautiful," Eli greeted as she placed a light kiss on Nozomi's lips, eliciting a chuckle from her.

"You're looking amazing yourself, Elichi."

" **Elichika, are you going to keep hogging her? Hurry and bring her inside, I'm sure the neighbours wouldn't want to watch the two of you get any more intimate,** " her nightmare's voice rang out from the kitchen and she paled while flushing, if that was even possible.

Nozomi cocked her head slightly to the right in confusion and Eli elaborated. "That's my mom, she's asking us to go inside. Come on." Eli ushered Nozomi in, their hands interlocked.

This was it. The moment she had been looking forward to so much yet simultaneously dreading it. What would happen if the two didn't get along with each other? No, Nozomi was so lovely; it was impossible for anyone to dislike her. Her mother wasn't such a bad person herself. A little over the top at times and seemed to derive so much joy from teasing her, but loved her nonetheless. She knew how much Nozomi meant to Eli too. Surely everything will be fine.

She hadn't considered the other end of the spectrum, though.

The moment the couple entered the living room, Eli's mother sprang up from her seat at the dining table and started fawning over Nozomi.

" **Oh, she's beautiful! What a great catch, eh Elichika? You sure reeled in a big one!** " Her mother nudged her with her elbow, cheeky expression a complete opposite of Eli's mortified one. " **I see you're like your father in more ways than one. Looking out for the boobies, eh?** "

All Eli could do was stare at her mother with her mouth hanging open, horrified and completely rooted to the ground while Alisa entered a laughing fit at the dining table.

She was so glad that Nozomi couldn't understand Russian yet.

"Ah, **good evening, Mrs Ayase,** " Nozomi greeted in Russian, as per taught to her by Eli, bowing slightly too.

"My, good evening! What a cute dear you are, so polite too! I was just telling Elichika here about how she definitely cau-"

Eli's eyes widened comically, eliciting more giggles from Alisa as she cut in frantically.

"Okay! Now that introductions are in order, let's have dinner, shall we?"

Without waiting for either lady's response, she dragged Nozomi to the dining table and pulled out a chair for her. Nozomi simply sported an amused expression on her face as she watched Eli's cheeks flare up in embarrassment. Alisa, on the other hand, was near death from the exchange, having understood every single word. Eli shot her a glare which was ignored as per usual. She sighed in resignation.

 _At least introductions are over. It can't get any more humiliating than this, right?_

* * *

Wrong. She was so wrong.

She couldn't even eat since her hands were permanently used for burying her face in out of sheer embarrassment. Eli was helpless as she stayed in that position, wishing so desperately that Santa was real and she could maybe hop on his sleigh and join as an elf or something.

There she remained though, mortified and reduced to nothing but her physical self filled with a mass of embarrassment, as she listened to her mother regale Nozomi with every possible humiliating tale of Eli. She never knew that she had actually been such an eventful child.

"Oh, did she tell you the story behind her huge dislike for pickled plums?" The mirth in her mother's eyes shone as Nozomi rapidly shook her head. "It was one of our usual home dinners and I was there in the kitchen preparing for it. Elichika must have been 4 or 5 at that time?"

"7, actually," Eli sourly corrected.

"Same difference," her mom waved with a hand. "Anyway, she had just woken up from her exceedingly long nap and must have been looking for a snack. So the silly girl popped in a whole plum into her mouth, thinking that it was a strawberry!"

At this point, Nozomi laughed out loud once more while Eli sank further into her hands.

"You should have seen her face, it was as wrinkled as the plums themselves!" Her mother inhaled a large breath to calm herself down. "After that, she refused to eat strawberries and even Japanese rice for a whole month."

"Ahh, if only that mentality continued even now. Elichi recently bit into a plastic chocolate bar hard. Her teeth were really sore after that! That didn't stop her from buying more chocolate, though," Nozomi recalled with the same amused smile she had worn on that day.

"Nozomi, I thought that was between us only!"

"But if I don't share too, it's not fair, right?" Nozomi teased as Eli went back to the small comfort of her hands.

"I like how you think, dear! Speaking of chocolates, Elichika's love for it really knows no bounds. You could get her to do almost anything in the past by using chocolate!"

Eli could already foresee the story that was next in line and all the blood drained from her face. Her heartbeat picked up and her palms grew sweaty. She needed to stop this _right now_.

But before she could even so much as twitch her body, her mother started on the story.

"This elder daughter of mine never knew just how blessed she is to be the offspring of her father and I. She has the perfect combination of genes! But no, small little Elichika refused to listen to my desperate attempts at dressing her up," her mother sighed.

"That's because those outfits were utterly humiliating! Who even dresses their kids up in cat outfits and makes them meow?!"

"So one day I told her that if she agreed to dress up and let me take pictures, I would give her a bar of Godiva chocolate," her mother ignored Eli's outburst. "And lo and behold, I ended up getting close to a hundred different shots of her. That's how her modelling career started!"

"Elichi started modelling since young? I didn't know that! I've only ever seen pictures of her in the more recent years," Nozomi directed a pointed look at Eli who was desperately contemplating leaving the dinner table.

"Oh? Well, I can show you all the pictures next time if you would like," her mother uttered the dreaded words and Eli crumbled just as Nozomi let out a squeal of excitement.

This continued for another good hour or two, her mother mentioning stories on how Eli had rejected various suitors simply by being her dense self and Nozomi sharing the plethora of case examples where she had been reduced to a blubbering mess after Nozomi's teasing. Throughout the night, her mother would throw winks in her direction, giving her cheesy thumbs ups and spouting things like "she's a real keeper" and "this girl really knows how to handle you" in Russian. Eli wanted nothing more than to curl up on her bed and hide away from the world, feeling like she was unqualified to ever show her face on Earth again. She knew that having her mom meet Nozomi would be the worst mistake ever as the two only ganged up on her for the whole night. Alisa's sympathetic gazes didn't comfort her much, especially when she chipped in whenever she could.

But despite all the embarrassment and urges to run away from home, Eli couldn't help the happiness bubbling slowly from her heart, growing every stronger by the passing minute. Her mother and Nozomi obviously loved each other, even if they did bond at Eli's expense. She watched the two interact with a warm gaze, happy to hear nothing but laughter and animated voices tonight. Her gaze lingered on Nozomi, watching as her girlfriend laughed at yet another tale her mother was over sharing. Her entire body radiated mirth, amusement and excitement. Any and all traces of her previous nervousness had dissipated and she genuinely seemed to be enjoying the dinner. Eli felt her heart swell and a warm feeling spread throughout her body. Christmas had always been a lonely time for Nozomi, with both her parents gone and her living alone. Just knowing that she had a part to play - an incredibly huge and vital part, in fact - in getting her to enjoy this wonderful occasion so much made her utterly delighted.

Eli's mother caught her elder daughter's not so subtle gazes at her significant other and a soft smile graced her lips.

"You know, Nozomi. Eli here is really a lot like her late father. They're both obstinate people with a huge sense of duty and only know how to work. It took me so much effort to get through that thick-headed man to do _anything_. They're both inexperienced in love despite receiving so much of it," her mother smiles softly, reminiscing. "When Eli here had come along and I had realised just how much she was like her father, I had honestly been really worried. This girl here spends so much time thinking only about her responsibilities, tasks and other people that she never did stop to consider anything else, including her wellbeing. But she's changed so much for the better after she had met you. So really, thank you for coming into her life and after tonight's interaction, I'm really glad that it's you and not anyone else."

Eli watched as Nozomi sported a flush on her face identical to hers, shy but very grateful for the compliments. Eli whispered a thank you to her mother, silent but heartfelt, as she draped her arm over Nozomi and brought her closer in for a cuddle.

"Thank you, Mrs Ayase. I'm really thankful to have met Elichi too. She's changed my life for the better, in many more ways than one too," Nozomi replied as she planted a short yet loving kiss to Eli's cheek.

Eli felt her heart bloom at the warm atmosphere, a fresh change from the incredibly torturous one the entire night.

Unfortunately, her mother didn't plan on letting it stay.

"So, when's the wedding?"

The empty plates on the table clattered as Eli's legs hit them from below when she jerked, before she once again resumed her familiar position of burying her face in her hands.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**

 **And here it is, the last chapter! For those of you that follow me on Tumblr (thank you so much for that ^^), this will be the only new one.**

 **So without further ado...**

* * *

Eli tugged at the two ends of the ribbon, forming an impeccable ribbon that finally met her standards after 14 tries. She glanced at the clock on her wall: it was almost time to go to Nozomi's for their Christmas dinner, just the two of them.

Eli inhaled a shaky breath, trying to calm the nerves that would have been irrational in any other person's case. She was going to her girlfriend's house to spend Christmas night; why should she ve nervous? But Eli had every reason to be so. For the past 7 years that Eli and Nozomi had known each other, they have had 6 Christmas gift exchanges, 5 of them being them unwrapping all their Christmas presents together under a Christmas tree. So far, Nozomi has booby trapped the presents 6 times. The upcoming 7th time this night was bound to be no different. Eli definitely had every reason to be nervous.

She recalled the various pranks that had been played on her for Christmas: an exploding gift box, the Christmas tree shedding bare when she had shifted a box under it and her all time 'favourite': the lights all going out when she had opened a present. She shuddered in fear, feeling the imminent sense of doom.

Although, she did have to hand it to Nozomi. The booby traps had always revealed the bigger picture that had definitely been some of the best presents that Eli had received in all her 25 years of existence. When the rain of confetti had finally subsided from the explosion, the box had revealed a custom made snow globe with the figurines of both of them ice skating gracefully, commemorating that year's event where Eli had taught Nozomi her favourite sport. After getting over the sheer horror of seeing Nozomi's Christmas tree bald within split seconds, she had noticed how on the branches hung an assortment of chocolates, all of which were Eli's favourites. That had been just after Eli had finally recovered from a massive toothache that had rendered her unable to eat chocolate for close to a month, akin to living hell for her. Even the latest one, when she had really been terrified out of her mind, the fear had only lasted 2 seconds before she had realised that the room had not been as dark as she had expected. The Christmas tree had sparkled beautifully in the darkness, Christmas lights draped beautifully around it, forming a halo that had transformed the dark terror into a heavenly sanctuary. And when she had looked up, she had noticed how Eli's favourite constellations had been painted on the ceiling with glow in the dark paint, resembling the Russian night sky she had missed so much. Really, even though the booby traps had always been, to put it mildly, shocking and borderline terrifying, they had always turned out beautifully with Eli feeling all the more grateful for Nozomi each time.

So really, her nerves - justified and ever growing - were attributed not only to the fear of the unknown and knowledge of yet another elaborate prank but also to the fact that she didn't know if her present could one up Nozomi this time.

Eli shook her gift lightly, satisfied upon feeling the solid weight and muffled rattle. Yes, she could do this.

* * *

"Merry Christmas, Nozomi," Eli greeted once Nozomi had opened the door, sharing a short but sweet kiss.

Dinner had been akin to the calm before the storm; it had been perfect as usual, thanks to Nozomi's amazing talent in the kitchen, but the worried aura she had given off had not been lost on Nozomi. She had egged Eli on, wearing a secretive and teasing smirk all the while, keeping Eli even more on edge. Throughout the dinner, Eli had cautiously glanced towards the diabolical boxes under the tree that had glowed so beautifully and innocently - all part of the plan to throw her off, she was sure - countless times. However, no matter how hard she had scanned them from her sear, she couldn't seem to find any telltale signs of what she should be expecting. No thin wires, motion sensors or even slightly dubious gift boxes.

So when they finally sat beside the tree, presents all around them, Eli couldn't help but feel jumpy.

"You're looking as if you're expecting guns to appear from the walls at any moment," Nozomi teased.

"Please don't tell me that's a hint because Nozomi, I swear to God-" She was cut off by a melodious laugh and a light pinch to her cheek. A pout formed on her lips.

"There's nothing to worry about, Elichi. Now come on, open your present."

The excitement in Nozomi's eyes were contagious and underneath the mix of nerves, dread and fear in Eli's being, anticipation bubbled underneath. Gingerly, she unwrapped the unsuspecting bow, unintentionally letting out a small sigh of relief when it fell to the ground undone and nothing had happened. Nozomi chuckled at that, laughter growing when Eli cautiously shook the small box, hearing close to no sound at all. She eyed the girl currently in a giggling fit, and indignantly opened the box.

That was probably exactly how Nozomi had played everything out to be because the next moment, Eli heard a loud pop and smoke filled the room at an alarming rate, engulfing them. With her loss of vision clarity, she called out Nozomi's name in a panic, desperately trying to find the comforting touch of her girlfriend in this huge confusion. The good news was that Nozomi's hands had found their way to her own almost immediately. The bad news was that the sprinklers had gone off.

Frantically, Eli tried to scramble away and take cover, only to find her waist encircled by the arms of the girl she loved so much, trapping her in place.

"Shh, do you trust me?" Eli nodded, knowing Nozomi could feel her at this proximity. "Then calm down and just wait a moment."

A comforting kiss was placed on the side of her head and Eli felt its magic working. And true to Nozomi's words, Eli found herself in awe the next moment. The light rain from the sprinklers had not only caused the smoke to dissipate, it had also triggered the appearance of various murals that coloured the walls. The stark contrast of the vibrancy from the paintings and the white of the walls made each picture look even brighter, catching Eli's breath. The first painting in sight was one of a mall Santa with the telltale purple hair and Eli in a Santa dress, arms akimbo. She laughed in disbelief, recalling their very first encounter. Each mural took her down memory lane as she admired one after another, all in chronological order. A parfait with the two of them sharing it - their first date. A painting of Eli with a snowball in her face, with Nozomi cheekily throwing it. Their first kiss, with the 'mistletoe' hanging above. Nozomi's first time ice skating, Eli's first time fishing, theme park dates, graduation, all the various key events and even the small ones which were equally sweet. They all led up to a final painting, where Nozomi had painted them snuggled up under a Christmas tree, Eli's face in awe and Nozomi wearing an endearing look on her face, eyes trained on the girl in front of her. Exactly like how they were now. Eli turned her head back, still trapped in Nozomi's embrace from behind.

"Well? How is it?" Nozomi shyly asked, slightly hesitant from Eli's lack of response.

Various emotions were overwhelming Eli, a massive mix of awe, love, nostalgia and so much more. Her brain, even more clouded than the room had been just moments ago, was unable to process any words. So she showed her appreciation through her actions instead.

Or so she was about to. As she leant in to bestow upon her girlfriend a kiss nearly as sweet as her gift, Eli felt her brain malfunction once more. And before she knew it, the words had slipped out.

"I'm so glad I used multiple boxes for that ring."

* * *

Said ring glinted under the bright lights of the mall, sitting snugly and proudly on Nozomi's right ring finger. She walked through the mall, crowd making way for her as she passed. Nozomi attributed it to the fact that not only did she have a stroller with two peaceful toddlers in it, she also had a blonde devil holding her left hand and another on her back. Bystanders looked at her with a mixture of respect, awe and pity, mirroring how she felt about herself.

"I'm going to ask Santa not to give you any presents!" Devil Number 1 called out from her back.

"Dummy Hoshi, then you'll be on the naughty list anyway! I won't share my presents with you when all you get is coal!" Devil Number 2 retorted from her left.

"Hoshi, Hotaru, if you two won't be nice to each other, Santa isn't the only one that will punish you soon," Nozomi addressed them with a playful yet ominous smirk and the two immediately clamped up.

4 kids were definitely hard to handle, especially on her own, but Nozomi was glad that she had figured out how to handle them while not being overbearing. She couldn't wait to finally get the extra pair of hands for help, though.

The small family made their way to the plaza, waiting in line patiently for their turn to meet Santa. Hotaru and Hoshi chatted incessantly, discussing various requests they had for Santa, kindergarten and the winter season in general. Nozomi joined in at moments, enjoying how her elder pair of twins could talk about almost anything under the sun, and find a way to bicker about them. Luckily, at some point of time, her younger pair of twins woke up and the two elder siblings stopped, each determined to be a good example for their younger siblings. They relegated back to their previous topic on Santa's gifts, suggesting presents and getting even more nonsensical (thanks to Hoshi) after each suggestion.

When their turn had finally arrived, Nozomi was almost as equally excited as her children, though her reasoning was entirely to see how Santa would respond to her children's requests of a human sized train set, racing cars, unicorns and a dragon.

As they approached the podium, Nozomi felt her heart start to race, just as always. The butterflies which had been dormant for a few days now sprang to life with renewed vigour. Santa turned to face her and Nozomi felt a warm smile break through involuntarily. Through the large hat and beard, Nozomi could recognise the piercing blue eyes and luscious blonde hair. A flash of surprise passed through Santa's face and she immediately broke out into a loving smile of disbelief.

Nozomi watched warmly as her kids charged towards Santa unsuspectingly, each wanting to be on Santa's lap. It wasn't long before Santa had Natsuki and Yuki on her lap and Hotaru and Hoshi both on her back precariously.

"Hello, Mrs Claus," Nozomi chuckled at the now struggling Eli.

Eli shot her an exasperated smile, before grinning mischievously. "I sure hope you've been good because I'd definitely want to visit your house."

* * *

 **BONUS:**

"Ahh! Santa is giving lovey eyes to Mama!" Hotaru angrily climbed down Santa, her twin sister following.

"Only Papa can do that to Mama! Go away, Santa!" And with that, Hoshi unleashed a kick stronger than what most 5 year olds would be capable of.

As Eli clutched onto her leg in pain, with Nozomi only laughing and taking pictures furiously, she couldn't help but think that maybe she should extend her modelling gig this time.

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Well, there's that! Hope you all have enjoyed this more than I have writing it ^^ (I really did enjoy it, just writing while overseas is tough)**

 **Happy Holidays everyone!**


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